Delanty goes back to the beginning

IN MORE ways than one, it was a circle completed for Cork poet Greg Delanty, who returned to his native city for the launch of an anthology of his work.

Reading from his new book, Collected Poems 1986-2006, in the Crawford Art Gallery last night, Delanty said he was delighted to have a special launch in Cork following the official launch by internationally renowned poetry critic Christopher Ricks in Dublin last Monday.

Delanty, who teaches in Vermont in the US, said the publication, which incorporates seven previously published volumes of his work was already being very warmly received. He said he was personally very happy with the collection, despite initial reservations as it is unusual for such a young poet - Delanty is 47 - to have an anthology published.

“I had written to my publishers about a selected volume,” said Delanty, “but they got back to say, no, they didn’t want to do a selected volume, but did want to do a collection.”

“I fought it for a while because of the age thing but eventually came around to the idea and am now very happy with it - after all, it is a record of my work for the last 20 years and, hopefully, if I’m around long enough, I’ll manage another one, 20 years from now.”

Delanty, a former champion swimmer who was the youngest ever winner of the Lee Swim, as an eleven-year-old in 1969, was especially delighted to be back in the Crawford.

“My first volume of poetry was launched in the Crawford back in 1986, and as a kid I was sent here when it was a school of art, for art lessons. The cover of the book comes from a painting in the Crawford’s collection, Daniel McDonald’s Bowling Match at Castlemary, Cloyne, 1847,” he said.

Greg Delanty’s Collected Poems 1986-2006 is part of the Oxford Poets series and is published by Carcanet Press.